


Listen to the Birds Sing - A Stenbrough Oneshot

by FlyingSerpent8



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti)
Genre: Adults, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Birdwatching, Eddie Kaspbrak (mentioned) - Freeform, Fluff, M/M, Memories, Mentioned Suicide Attempt, Reddie (mentioned) - Freeform, Richie Tozier (mentioned) - Freeform, Stan has beautiful eyes, Stenbrough, They've been pining for 27 years, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, meeting up for the first time in 27 years
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-10-27 04:46:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20754560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlyingSerpent8/pseuds/FlyingSerpent8
Summary: Bill goes to the park to meet up with an old friend who he hasn't seen in twenty-seven years...





	Listen to the Birds Sing - A Stenbrough Oneshot

A small beeping noise coming from Bill’s wrist caught his attention, and he looked down to see that his watch read 5:00 p.m. He was currently sitting on a park bench breathing in the cool autumn air and taking in his surroundings. The sky was mostly overcast, but the clouds weren’t dark enough to foreshadow anything more than a light shower later that evening. A gentle breeze was also stirring up some of the freshly-fallen leaves sitting at the bases of their trees. It was rather chilly, and not exactly the most beautiful day to meet up with someone at the park, it wasn’t necessarily a bad day either.

Autumn was his favorite season, mostly because of the familiar musty smell of wet dirt and decomposing plants. He believed the word for that particular smell was petrichor. He’d used that word a few times in his writing, but most people needed an explanation before they knew exactly what he was talking about. Generally, it only took a quick “you know the way it smells after it’s just barely rained-” and they’d immediately catch on, stating that it was one of their favorite smells. Bill had to agree. 

His friend was supposed to be meeting him here today, at about this time. Bill had already been waiting for about half an hour- not that he minded -but he was excited to finally meet up with his old friend after all these years. It had been such a long time. 

Bill had already met up with the rest of his old friend group, as they’d been summoned back to Derry by the reawakening of It. It had been a traumatizing event, especially because they’d nearly forgotten all of their childhood together, and it had just totally been thrown at them as soon as they arrived. There had also been some close calls as well when Bill was sure one or all of them wouldn’t make it out alive, but everyone had managed to pull through. Even poor Eddie, who’d been stabbed during the final battle, and had lost so much blood everyone had given up on him except Richie. He carried Eddie out of there all by himself, refusing to even consider the idea that he wouldn’t make it, and in the end, after they’d gotten him to the hospital, he was on his way to making a full recovery. On a side note, Richie and Eddie were together now, Richie having confessed his feelings for the man when he’d finally woken up in a hospital bed, and Eddie returning the sentiments wholeheartedly. It was something the rest of the Losers club had suspected for years, but never really asked them about, and now that it had finally happened, everyone was very happy for them.

Pulled out of his thoughts by the melody of some small bird resident in the park, Bill looked in the direction of the sound. Standing not too far from the tree in which the bird was perched, continuing its curious song, was a man. His hands were stuck in the pockets of his blue-gray jacket, and he was looking up at the little brown bird fondly. He had dirty-blonde curls of hair that reached around his ears, which were pink from the cold, and he had grown reasonably taller from the last time Bill had laid eyes on him. Noticing he’d captured Bill’s attention, the man grinned and wandered towards him.

“Bill?” his voice was a little rougher than it used to be, but still held the soft tone that Bill remembered from when they were kids. If anything he just sounded more tired.

“H-hey, Stan.”

Stanley smiled wider, and the corners of his eyes wrinkled, showing off well-worn laugh lines that had been etched into his features over the years. Bill’s chest grew warm at the sight of that smile, knowing for a fact that Stan hadn’t smiled nearly enough as a kid. Hopefully, he’d had a good life after he left Derry.

The man made his way over to the bench and Bill scooted over so that he could sit next to him. The warmth in his chest flushed into his cheeks when he sat down, and Bill smiling and glanced away, laughing nervously.

“Damn it,” he said, smile not fading in the slightest, “I was hoping I wouldn’t immediately turn into a stuh-uttering mess as soon as you arrived” 

Stan smiled gently and leaned forward, catching Bill’s gaze again. Bill’s breath caught in his throat when he looked into those eyes, and while he was mesmerized by his gorgeous irises, Stan said, “If it’s any consolement, I haven’t heard you speak this clearly in person for a very long time. It’s been what, twenty-seven years? I’d say you’ve made a lot of improvement.”

Bill had completely forgotten about his eyes. They were absolutely stunning. Along with many of the other details that had quickly become hazy once Bill had moved away from Derry and all his friends, the memory of the gold flakes scattered in Stan’s hazel-colored eyes had been swimming deep in the back of his mind, not to be thought about for another three decades. Even without the late afternoon light reflecting in them, due to the overcast sky, the colors stood out magnificently.

Stan raised an eyebrow as Bill continued not to say nothing, then asked, clearly amused, “You with me, Bill?”

“U-uh, yeah,” he shook his head to clear it. “It’s just- it’s good to see you, man.”

The next thing he knew, he was being pulled into a tight embrace. “I missed you too, Billy.” Bill breathed in the unfamiliar but not unpleasant smell of his friend’s jacket as he returned the hug full-force, and buried his face in his shoulder. The smell reminded him of the diverse garden that used to surround Stan’s house, and tears sparked in his eyes, as he remembered the many afternoons they’d spent in that very garden, talking, or just hanging out. Sometimes they would just sit on the patio, and Stan would point out birds, while Bill drew in his sketchbook. They had been so close back then. It was incredible that they’d grown apart and forgotten about each other so quickly after being separated. But that was the unfortunate spell Derry seemed to cast on everyone once they left, and it had only completely worn off once they’d defeated It.

They stayed in that position for a surprisingly long time, neither one wanting to pull away. It had been forever since they’d seen each other, let alone shared any form of physical contact. So when Bill finally decided to let go of Stan, the latter clung to him for a few seconds longer. 

“C’mon Stan,” he said, feeling his face heat up again at the prolonged contact. He pushed him back- not forcefully -but mainly just so that he could look at him properly again. “Tell me what you’ve been up to all these years,” his gaze softened, “a-are you doing alright?” He had been aghast when Mike had told him about Stan’s suicide attempt after he’d called him, telling him he needed to return to Derry. That was why Stan wasn’t able to meet up with the rest of them to fight It. He’d been in the hospital recovering from shock and blood loss.

Stanley’s eyes flitted away, his smile faltering a bit. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m doing okay. I’m not exactly sure what happened. I just kind of went into a sort of shock. My blood ran cold as memories rushed back, and the next thing I knew, I could barely control my own actions,” he paused. “But… I’m good now. Uh, thanks for asking.”

“I’m so glad you’re doing better. I-I was areally wuh-worried for a while there.”

They sat in silence for a moment, before Stan suddenly burst out, “So you got into writing, huh? I read a few of your books a while back. They’re pretty good.” He stared at Bill admiringly, “You always were the best storyteller.”

Bill brightened up immediately. “Oh, you did? Uh, let me guess,” he chuckled, “not too fond of the endings?”

“Hmm, how’d you guess?” Bill rolled his eyes. “No, I- actually, they aren’t all that bad. You just seem to have trouble wrapping up the story. You know, bringing the adventures to an end. But I suppose… some adventures aren’t meant to end right when you think they are. I mean, here we are.”

“Wh-wait, really?” Bill looked genuinely surprised. “All the others gave me shit for those endings.”

Stan laughed loudly. “Of course they did. But, uh, yeah. You’ll figure it out eventually.”

“Well, thanks, I guess.” He was still baffled by Stan’s response, but the reassuring smile set on the man’s lips guaranteed that every single word was genuine.

“So,” Stanley continued, cheeks slightly pink, “have you been doing anything else? Or have you just been sitting in front of a computer typing for the last thirty years?”

Bill bit his lip. There was something about the question that felt like it was directed more towards his personal life. He hesitated a little before responding. “Yeah, no. I haven’t been typing this whole time, I, actually, uh, I got m-m-married a while b-back. Or, well, up until recently, anyway.” He wasn’t sure why exactly it had been so difficult for him to get that word out.

“Oh,” Stan raised his eyebrows, “what happened?”

“About a year and a half ago, Audry and I split up. Things just weren’t working out with her whole acting career and everything, and I dunno. Things just changed.” Bill had loved Audry, very much, but after a few years, things just hadn’t been working with them anymore, and it had been a mutual agreement that they should get a divorce. 

Merely out of curiosity, Bill glanced down to where Stan’s hands were resting in his lap, and to his mild surprise, there was no ring in sight. In his opinion, Stan would make an amazing husband, and he was definitely attractive enough. Certainly, there were plenty of people who thought the same. So why hadn’t Stan found anyone yet? Not that it was his place to judge- he wasn’t currently in a relationship either, and he was perfectly fine the way he was right now.

“Are you-” he trailed off, gesturing to Stan’s ringless fingers.

Stan shifted a little, uncertainly, unconsciously hiding his hands in his pockets. “No. No, I’m not with anyone. I used to have a girlfriend, or, at least, we’d been dating for a while, but I never really… I dunno. I guess I wasn’t that interested in… women as I originally thought that I was.”

_ What was that supposed to mean? _

“Okay.”

At first, Bill tried to ignore the burning heat in his cheeks, and his mind, racing with questions and assumptions. His hands had become fidgety, and he looked down at them, unsure of what to say next. However, deep in the back of his mind, where old forgotten feelings and memories lived, he knew exactly why this news stood out to him. He sighed.

_ Get it together Denbrough, He thought, you can’t keep ignoring your feelings towards that boy forever. _

Bill looked up at Stan, who stared back at him as if maybe he was expecting something. He bit his lip.  _ Come on Big Bill. You can do this. _

“S-s-so, uh,” he began, shakily, “I-I know this will p-probably sound a little weird, especially since we, uh, th-this is like the first time we’ve seen each other in a r-re-really long time, but-” he took a deep breath, “Y-y-y-you wanna m-maybe, uh, g-go out sometime? Like-like on a d-d-date?” Bill finished, peering hopefully into Stan’s golden-hazel eyes. He was already feeling a great sense of dread that he’d made the wrong decision, but it was too late to turn back now.

Stan’s jaw dropped, almost comically, and after a moment or so, he regained himself. “You… You’re serious?” Bill gulped. Stan waited. He gave a small nod in confirmation. “Oh. Um-” Stanley started laughing a little, and Bill was suddenly intensely worried that he was going to be turned down. It was like he was reliving his teenage years all over again. Then Stan smiled at him, a gentle mix of shyness and amusement, and muttered softly, “I was going to ask you the same thing.”

Now it was Bill’s turn to look surprised. Never in a million years did he think his best friend, Stanley Uris, would even consider asking him on a date.  _ Him! _ Stuttering, awkward, shy William Denbrough, who could barely get through a sentence without tripping and stumbling over every word. He’d also never expected Stan to accept that offer. When the realization of it all hit him, Bill was grinning ear-to-ear. “S-so that’s a yes?”

Stan rolled his eyes, blushing furiously. “Of course that's a yes, you big goof.” He nudged his shoulder. Bill continued to smile like an idiot and they sat in silence for a while. Eventually, Stan’s hand found its way into Bill’s, splaying out his fingers and intertwining them with his own.

It was nearly ten whole minutes later when Stan suddenly sat up and exclaimed, “Hey! I almost forgot-” Letting go of Bill’s hand for a moment, he leaned over and rummaged through the worn brown satchel he’d been carrying with him. Then he pulled out an old, well-used book that looked like it hadn’t been opened in years. It took Bill a minute before he recognized it, but as soon as he saw the assortment of birds on the cover, his eyes widened.

“Your bird book? Yo-you mean like, the same one from when we were kids?”

“The very same.”

“I would have expected you to have gotten rid of it over all these years.”

Stan smiled mischievously. “Not only that,” he said, continuing to dig through his bag for a moment. He then pulled out a pencil and a very tattered black notebook.

Bill laughed out loud. “Of course you still have that thing. I hope you at least transferred the notes to a more durable notebook at some point.”

Stan smiles softly, flipping a few pages. “Not everything in here is transferrable.” He stopped on a page that contained a few neat notes on the side, and a detailed sketch of some small speckled bird in the middle. “You remember this, right?” he asked, gently tracing the elaborate feathers on the bird’s wing.

“Y-yeah,” said Bill, furrowing his eyebrows and trying to recall the memory, “I drew that when we went birdwatching on your birthday, right?”

“Yep, you drew this for me the day I turned fourteen. Best birthday present ever.”

Bill glanced at a note right next to the drawing, in much messier handwriting than the neat paragraphs describing the bird. He immediately recognized it as his own. It read:

_ Happy Birthday, Stan the Man! Here’s a beautiful bird for my best friend! <3 _

_ \- Bill Denbrough _

“Aww, I remember adding that little heart and hoping you’d notice,” He said fondly, reminiscing in the memory.

“Oh, believe me,” Stan said, giving Bill an exasperated expression, “I noticed.”

After thinking it over for a minute, Bill asked, “Hey, w-would you like to get dinner after this?”

Stan closed the notebook and turned to face Bill. “Sure.” Then he leaned forward and kissed Bill softly on the lips. After a moment of surprise, Bill smiled and kissed him back gently. 

When he pulled away, Stan sighed and rested his head on Bill’s shoulder, taking his hand again. They spent the rest of the afternoon and a bit of the evening like that. Talking and remembering, just happy to be there with each other, listening to the birds sing.


End file.
